Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-01-12
Fresh FROM THE PEOPLE.
The Twentieth Legislature a Repre-
sentative Body--AImost Every
Vocation Sends Delegates.
They Gene From the Highlands and the
LOWlands, bHt the Farming
Glass Pred0minates.
indications That the Senatorial Question
VIII Be Disposed of without
Running Dark Horse
AT THE STATE CAPITAL.

VIII Be Disposed of without
Running a Dark Horse.
AT THE STATE CAPITAL.
Special to the Gazette.
AUSTIN, TEX, Jan. 1.-THE members
elected to the Twentieth legislature have
been coming in large numbers during the
past four or five days, and are quartered
at the hotels and private boa! Lighthouses
throughout the city.
To-day was the first day of the session,
and opened up clear and bright. The at
mosphere, though bracing and retaining
a t'nge OF winter, was not uncomfortable
to the large crowd of pedestrians that
thronged tue nvenue at an early hour
The candidates for different positions in
the senate and house are almost, numer-
lcaly speaking, as strong as the member
ship in both houses. The legislature
convened at u o'clock. The body
Is IN every respect representative
one, and from the records viii be seen that
almost every vocation has for the present
given up some of it's members to the
service of the state.
THE GENERAL MAKE-UP.
Three newspaper men have laid down
the shears and pushed aside the paste
pot, ten merchants have dropped their
yardsticks, four physicians have stopped
rolling pills and concocting liquids for
their patients, seven stock-raisers have
hung up their lariats and pulled off their
spurs, and sixty-two farmers have I'M
hooked their teams to try their hands at
"saving the state" In addition to these
are members of the bar numbering fifty
or more, and one teacher, one
civil engineer, one wool grower,
and one contractor and builder.
In the Eighteenth legislature it will be
remembered there was one profess Onal
gentleman, but no such person is shown
in the record Of the Twentieth, and it is
safe to conclude that every M mber will
be f und an honest and earnest worker
when the session is fairly opened.
More than one-half of the members of
the lower house are servi their first
term, and u majority CT these come
with clearly defined ideas of the char
acter of the work before them. In
addition TO the requirements OF their
own immediate section, they feel the i'm
portance of liberal legislation on matters
OF general interest to the state, and if the
sentiment of the body has been read
Alright no false economy or hasty action
will characterize its work. Since the
farmer element predOminates this might
with prOpriety be called granger lrgls-
lature, and yet the term as used Is
not synonymous with "Rutabaga Body"
because the latter implies less hberality
than would naturally be expected fcom
the class of men who compose the granger
element of the two houses.
ALL DEMOCRATIC.
The political complexion of the body
shows the strength of Democracy in the
state, and stamps with probability the
mission with which the Globe Democrat
claims 10 have been entrusted That the
Democracy of Texas has been "reduced"
to almost absolute solidity ia shown in
the fact that but five Republicans obtain
ed votes enough in the late election 10 en-
title them to credentials.
In the contested cases the scramble is
between Democrats, and of these there
are three TO come befoI e the house. J. S
Penn, w. A Williams and A. c.. Jones,
each claims that he is the choice OF the
di- trict in which he resides and is pre-
pared to show cause why he should be
seated.
TIE SENATORIAL QUESTION.
The senatorial contest, though inter-
estiDg and spirited, is free from all bitter
ness, and that a representation will be
selected from the quartette now b, fore
the legislature is almost foregone coz
clusion. Many regard either of The four
as eminently fitted for the position, while
Others will support either of three,
and great msjOrity of
the balance can name two between whom
they have little choice. ave want no
dark horse" has been too frequently re
marked by members of both houses to
leave eny doubt of their sentiment with
reference to guerilla fight for the place
by candidates who have so far Kept
'closed in their SHE'LL" aud unless some
thing unforeseen should occur to crystal |
ize the vote of two or more of the sspir-
ants, the matter will be speedily disposed !
of when ouce taken up.